


Bears don't always have to be Bears

by Pucks_and_balls



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Dom/sub Undertones, Friendship, Gen, Hand Feeding, Platonic Cuddling, Team Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 21:44:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17650433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pucks_and_balls/pseuds/Pucks_and_balls
Summary: Sometimes even the biggest and strongest people need looking after, need to feel special and taken care of.





	Bears don't always have to be Bears

**Author's Note:**

> Geno's having a tough year and I just want someone to look after him!

The first time it happened it had been reckless on his part. 

Geno was angry. He’d just been pulled out of a fight with Wilson and pushed through the bench door as he was tossed from the game with the score tied at three and just under six to go but he was desperate to get back on the ice to get into something with Ovechkin who was shouting abuse in Russian, which he clearly thought no one on the bench would understand, and all Zach could think about was how angry Geno would be tomorrow when he had to miss game four if he got supplementary for returning to the ice, so he’d stood up from his spot at the end of the bench, slapped his hand hard between Geno’s shoulder blades and growled ‘stop now G’ right into his ear.

The reaction had been instant but not the punch in the face he’d almost expected. Geno’s body had stilled, his hands dropping to his sides and then with one quick look in his eyes he’d turned away from the ice and stomped off to the locker room as Zach sat back on the bench and focused on the PK hoping that his group would get a chance to get out there and complete the kill.

They’d won the game, killing Geno’s penalty and then stealing it with a Rust goal with a minute left on the clock, and were heading out for team dinner when Zach’s phone beeped with a message _will be late for meal, save seat, order something nice. G_ and Zach had laughed, accepting that buying dinner and nice dinner which clearly meant steak, and probably fish too, was the price he was going to pay for stepping out of line. 

Jamie, Olli, Dom and Casey had laughed, hard, when he’d said that he needed to save the other seat at their table for one half of the team’s two headed monster but they’d stopped laughing when Geno sat down next to Zach, thanked him for ordering for him and told them that he’d already paid the bill for the table.

 

The second time Zach almost had an excuse, that being that he was playing on a line with Geno in game two against the Sabres, but it was still a stupid thing for a rookie to do.

The game was going well, they were four two up with ten to go, a scoreline they’d held since just before the second intermission, and all four goals had come from their line. Geno had two and Kessel one, while Zach had the first four point game of his career as he’d had an assist on three and scored the other. The bench was calm and focused, rolling their lines and keeping things going, all except Geno and Kessel who were arguing and shouting about who should have shot and who should have passed after every goalless shift, Geno clearly feeling that Kessel was giving up opportunities in order to try and secure him a hat-trick.

The rest of the team were edging away, Crosby and Horny rolling their eyes and shaking their heads at the stupidity of the argument while the younger guys were eyeing them carefully and looking less and less at ease.

The three of them jumped the boards to take their next shift, Geno winning the face off and passing to Zach who knocked it across to Kessel, expecting it to be snapped back to Geno who was free in the slot, but after a second’s hesitation Kessel shot the puck, missing the net by almost a foot.

The puck hit the end boards and skidded back up the ice, evading Tanger and Dumo and before anyone could do anything Skinner had hit it top shelf over Desmith and it was a one goal game with eight to go.

‘You told me to shoot more’ Kessel snarled at Geno as they made their way back to the bench.

‘Not when I have better shot’ Geno shouted back as the three of them crashed down on the bench, the coaching staff and the team giving them more than enough space.

‘Just let me play my game then!’ Kessel turned his head back to the game but Geno kept on talking for a long moment, sniping and grumbling, before Sully tried to bring him to heal with little success and Crosby snapped at him to shut up with equal effect and that’s when it happened. 

Zach leaned his stick against the wall and removed his left glove before he reached forward to pull a bottle from the rack in front of him, turned his body so that he could get his arm behind Geno and then he pressed his gloveless hand firmly between Geno’s shoulder blades, held out the bottle and growled ‘shut up G and drink this’ in his ear.

Geno stopped speaking and looked at him, almost daring him, but didn’t move his hand to take the bottle so Zach grinned a stupidly wide grin, one that any cameras would have read as team games, and put the bottle to his mouth, tipping it so he could drink a few mouthfuls before he moved it away, put it back in the rack, put his gloves back on and everyone got back to the game.

They closed it out five to three, Geno and Kessel combining in the last minute to get Geno his hat-trick with an empty netter and Zach did all he could to avoid his teammates from the moment he could get out of the locker room until he had to be on the plane the following morning, not wanting to listen to anymore of Dom’s chirps about him taming the bear.

 

The third time, well if it really counted, maybe it didn’t, Zach wasn’t sure.

 

The fourth time, or maybe the third if the other third didn’t count, was different and it was different because they weren’t on the bench, it wasn’t even game day, and it was different because there was no way for Zach to even consider that it was by accident, error or because he’d done something stupid.

‘I sit here?’ Geno walked into the almost empty locker room and made a b-line for the stall next to Zach, which was already occupied by Dom, and asked in a way that made it impossible for Dom to say no.

‘Okay’ Dom stuttered out as he stood up and gave Zach an odd look before Crosby, the only other person in the room headed for the door and suggested Dom went with him.

Geno sat down heavy next to Zach and put his elbows on his knees leaning forward and hiding his face in his hands and Zach sat unmoved for a moment wondering what, if anything, was going to happen now.

They sat for a while, Zach listening to Geno’s breathing, heavy and irregular, and the short pauses when he thought he was about to speak but then a cough or a gulp and the breathing returned, and when the cycle had gone through three or maybe four times Zach gave in to his instincts and lifted his arm around Geno’s back, rested his palm flat and heavy between his shoulder blades and whispered ‘you’ve got this G’ into his ear.

At the contact of his hand Geno’s body relaxed and at the words he exhaled to the very depths of his lungs and his whole body sagged just slightly against Zach’s side. ‘I believe in you’ Zach added for good measure as he reached for the protein bars in the bag next to him, without moving his hand from Geno’s back, tore the packet open with his teeth and offered it to Geno who looked him in the eye hopefully and then took a bite when Zach nodded and smiled and made no effort to hand it over.

By the time the rest of the team arrived for skate Geno was in his own stall, lacing up his skates and laughing and talking to the new arrivals just like any other day but Zach knew for sure that something outside of the normal was going on between them.

_Dinner? I cook. G_

The message came through as Zach pulled his phone from his shoe ready to slip them on and go home so he sent back _you drive? I wash up?_ And, once his laces were tied and Geno had said his loud goodbyes to the room, they left the room together and made their way to the car.

They didn’t talk about what had been going on, not even when they arrived at the house and Zach realised Anna and Nikita were away for the weekend, but they enjoyed a delicious dinner cooked on the outdoor grill and ate in the sunshine, sitting on the steps, Geno settled a couple below Zach, and it was fun, at least it was once Zach managed to get used to the weirdness that was having dinner, one on one, with the guy who’d been his inspiration to learn some hockey Russian back when he was a teenager and who he still couldn’t believe he got to play with every day. 

They talked hockey, college, Russia, family, tattoos and a hundred other things while they ate and, once they’d settled in, Geno spent most of the meal with his head rested gently against Zach’s knee and Zach had found himself touching his shoulder, at first expecting him to pull away and then, when he didn’t and in fact seemed to like the contact, he did it again, leaving his hand resting, a warm and heavy weight, until they were both finished.

“Thanks for dinner,” Zach said quietly as he stood up and started collecting plates.

“Bears feed others not just be fed.” Geno said quiet and almost pained and Zach put the plates down, emptying his hands, and reaching out to touch his arm. 

“You know Dom can fuck off with the bear thing right?” Geno flinched just slightly at the harshness of his voice and Zach took a breath to calm down, “Look G,” the muscles in Geno’s arm relaxed under his hand, “bears don’t always have to be bears ok?”

Geno nodded almost sadly, his head tipping forward until his forehead dropped on Zach’s shoulder and just rested there for a few beats before he stood up, shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts, and then he smiled a full Geno at his happiest smile and waved at the plates Zach had abandoned earlier, “You wash up then, chop chop.” And Zach did as he was told, Geno drying them and putting them away.

 

Thinking about it number three definitely counted because if it didn’t number four didn’t make sense so the third time it happened they’d just lost game five against the Sabres, if they’d won they’d have been through to the final but they didn’t, they’d been shutout and blown-out and when they all collapsed into their stalls in the locker room no one had an ounce of energy to spare.

Sully said very little, he knew they knew anything he had to say and that post game was never the time to do anything useful, and then he left having issued the instruction to ‘get dinner together, all of you’ as if that would be easily possible for twenty three oversized appetites at the drop of a hat at nearly midnight somewhere in Pittsburgh, and the guys in the room tried to pull themselves together enough to change and make plans.

In the end dinner was a combination of takeaways, split over four establishments that all promised to be ready within half an hour, and Sid provided the venue, he having the delicate combination of enough space for everyone and no sleeping children to be interrupted. 

Hungry hockey players were hardly able to wait for the food to arrive, never mind for the packages to be opened, before they were trying to help themselves and as they all scrambled for food, elbows jostling, Zach felt Geno at his side, leaning over to reach for the spring rolls and when his arms weren’t quite long enough Zach picked one up and then, instead of putting it on Geno’s plate, he lifted it to his mouth and Geno grinned at him as he took a bite.

“What is it with you and feeding the fucking bear?” 

It was clearly meant as a chirp, as a joke rather than anything serious and half the guys at the table laughed, but when he caught the look in Geno’s eyes for a second before he hurried away there was something there that Zach really didn’t ever want to see again.

“Fuck off Dom,” was all the reply he managed before he turned away from the table, scanning the room to find Geno who was stood with his back to him, leaning on the wall next to an anxious looking Sid who was talking to him about something.

So the third time came the day before the fourth and certainly counted as probably did the twenty or more times he’d passed him a bottle, brushed his hand against his back, shoulder or arm, offered him food, spoken to him to calm him or relax him or on more than one occasion to shut him up when everyone else had failed, and clearly the far too many observed times that he’d actually put food and drink in Geno’s mouth which is why he shouldn’t really have been surprised by tonight’s message even if it had come from Anna instead of Geno himself.

 

_Hi Zach, is Anna, I cook you dinner? You eat with Geno?_

Zach looked at the message and his first thought was how nice it would be to have a meal he hadn’t burnt himself while his second was why is Geno’s wife inviting me to dinner with Geno. There was no easy answer to why so Zach decided the most sensible thing to do was just accept the invite and worry about it later.

_Thank you, that’s a very kind offer. I’ll wash up :) Should I bring anything?_

_Your pyjamas? Can pregame here? Can say no, I know routine is important, is big game tomorrow!_

He read the message three times, put his phone down on the table, grabbed a bottle of Gatorade from the fridge, drinking half of it, and then picked up the phone and replied _my pregame routine will probably be enhanced by eating food I didn’t cook myself but is everything ok?_

The reply came back with a picture of Geno sat on the edge of the couch in his living room, chin resting on his hands as he stared at the television. _Sidney came earlier, watch tape, play with niki, suggest eat but he still watching! Sid suggest you be help._

Zach studied the picture for a long moment, the game tomorrow was big, game seven decider for the Stanley cup big, and they were all anxious about it. Coming back from three down in the series had been hard work and to fail at the last seemed both likely and unfair and he knew that the team were mostly keeping their distance from each other for fear of dragging each other into a whirlpool of doubts but if his captain thought he could help, and if Anna had got desperate enough to ask, then he probably should say yes.

_Does he know you’ve asked me?_

_No, I not want to tell until I know what you say, in case you say no._

_Makes sense :) I’ll be their soon._

_Thank you. Xx_

Zach sent the confirmation back and moved quickly to his bedroom, grabbing his game day bag and his still packed overnight bag and then he tapped out another message.

_Maybe don’t tell him I’m coming?_

Not knowing what reaction Geno would have to any of this he considered it might be better for it to be a surprise.

_If you think best. Xx_

For a second Zach consider replying ‘how the hell would I know what’s best’ but then he decided that Anna didn’t need anything else to worry about so he busied himself getting his bags into his car and checking he’d turned the lights off before he locked up and drove the fifteen minutes over to Geno’s house.

 

Greeted with a hug and a slight smile Zach did as he was told and dropped his bags in the porch, taking off his shoes and sitting them against the wall next to the two pairs that were already there, and then he followed Anna’s whispered, arm waving, directions and made his way quietly to the living room doorway.

Geno was still sat like he’d been in the picture, but for the hand that was now holding a remote control and clearly going back over the tape he’d just watched, and Zach thought for a while, trying to form a plan of attack. Concluding that he needed a drink for Geno and probably something to eat and that he didn’t want to have to get up and leave again if he managed to find his way inside Geno’s headspace he turned and followed the sounds of pots and pans all the way to the kitchen.

“Do you have a drink?” Anna jumped in surprise as he spoke to her but quickly smiled at him,”a bottle of his favourite recovery drink would be good and a cake or biscuit or something like that?”

“These?” She pulled a clear bottle of red liquid from the fridge and picked up a plate of what looked like chocolate chip cookies and offered them over.

“Yeah, they’ll be great.” Zach smiled at her, hoping to ease some of the worry that seemed to weight heavy on her shoulders, “How many times has he watched the tape?”

“Three with Sid, few times before I called Sid, kept watching until now. Ten? Maybe more?” Anna didn’t sound quite sure.

“Does he do this much? Get lost in his head like this?” he put the plate and bottle down and leant against the counter with his hip, trying to radiate calm as he asked the question.

“Evgeni cares a lot, he responsible, he work hard, always try to make things right but is hard sometimes, sometimes he need a break, needs not to be responsible but he not know how to stop, never since a boy, always got to be right got to look after people. Sid say maybe not like that with you? Was one before, long time ago but not for long time, not since Niki, but he still need care, big care, you know?”

Zach nodded as Anna spoke and when she’d finished he moved his arms in her direction just slightly and she stepped forward into them, burying her face in his chest as he wrapped her up tight. “I can’t promise but I’ll do what I can okay?” She nodded against his chest and then took a moment before she stood herself up out of his arms and stepped back towards the stove.

“Nikita home in about an hour, dinner once he’s home.”

Zach smiled and nodded, picked up the cookies and juice, and headed back to the living room.

 

“What we watching?” 

Geno hadn’t changed his position while he was away, he was still sat in the middle of the couch, leaning forwards with his elbows on his knees and staring at the TV so Zach put the plate and bottle on the small table next the couch arm and sat down on the left hand end, leaving a gap between them just big enough for him to turn into so that he could rest his arm on the back of the couch behind Geno.

“Is D zone breakouts, zone entries, powerplay, PK, I make mistakes in last game not make tomorrow.” He skipped it back a few seconds to the start of a powerplay cycle from game six that had been turned over at the blue line and led to a one on one with Murray, one that Murray had saved, and played it again.

“Will you talk me through it? Educate me?” He asked gently. “From the beginning?”

Geno turned his head to look at him, watching him for a few long moments, and then he turned back to the TV, skipped the recording back to the beginning, pressed play and started talking, pointing and gesturing at the players on the screen as Zach listened, asked questions and pointed out a couple of issues with the Sharks PK unit that Geno didn’t raise himself. He’d watched a lot of tape in his life, and many hours of it for this series, but he was still awed at the detail of Geno’s observations, the depth of his knowledge and the quality of his explanations when he asked questions and by the time the fifteen minutes of tape was played through he felt a whole lot more prepared for tomorrow.

“Will it be new G?” Zach asked quietly as Geno clicked the remote to bring the tape back to the beginning.

“Is big game!” Geno snapped, “Need be prepared.”

“I know,” Zach bent his arm behind Geno, bringing his hand forward to rest his fingertips, gently, just below the collar of his shirt and he slowly increased the pressure of the contact as he kept speaking, “it’s a really big game G I know that but it’s not so important that you should be this stressed about it.”

As if without him noticing Geno’s body curled into Zach’s touch, leaning back until his fingertips had been joined by his palm, pressing firm between his shoulder blades.

“Is most important,” Geno started to protest but his voice didn’t contain much force, “Need to win, I need to make right, the city need the win.”

“This city,” Zach spoke quietly and moved his hand so that he could scratch gently at the short hair on the back of Geno’s neck, “will love you whatever happens tomorrow. Anna will love you,” there was a momentary flinch at the mention of Anna but Zach kept his finger’s moving and he quickly relaxed again, “Niki will love you and the team will love you, win or lose.”

“Not lose!” The tone was petulant more than anything else and Zach laughed.

“I hope you’re right,” 

Geno brought his legs up in front of him, feet on the edge of the couch with his arms wrapped around them and his chin resting on his knees and Zach moved his hand from his back to his shoulder and pulled him in against his side, “you watching that tape again isn’t going to help us win though.” Zach felt him take a breath as if ready to argue but then he let it all out in a gush and leaned heavier against his side, tucking his head in between Zach’s shoulder and chin.

“What’s going to help here G,” he turned slightly, so that he could kiss the crown of Geno’s head softly through his hair, “is for you to relax for me, give up the load for a while, and just let things be.”

“Is hard,” Geno whispered quietly as he snuggled slightly closer “but I try, try for you.”

 

“You’re doing good for me G.” Zach spoke gently and ran his hand slowly up and down Geno’s arm as he cuddled against his side, his body slowly relaxing as they rearranged themselves so that Zach was leaning into the corner of the back and arm and Geno could stretch his legs along the length of the couch, “You’re so good sitting here with me, letting me take care of you.” 

Geno closed his eyes and rubbed his cheek gently against his shirt, his breathing finally settling into a calm gentle rhythm, “Did Anna call?” he asked quietly, his fingers curling just lightly into Zach’s shirt, “she ask you come?”

“Anna loves you G,” Zach tightened his arms around Geno as his fingers curled further into his shirt. “She thought I might be able to help with something she couldn’t do for you herself.”

Geno nodded just once and moved onto his side, curling properly into Zach. “Is weird no? I’m weird.”

“Different, special.” Zach said calmly and quietly, “extraordinary, but not weird.”

“Is weird I ask this of rookie,”

“You never asked,” Zach picked the bottle up from the table next to him, pulled the cap open with his teeth and offered it to Geno, holding it half way between his mouth and his hands giving him every opportunity to take it from him but, when he made no movement to, he lifted it to his mouth and tightened his arm around him, pulling him closer, when he started to drink. 

“I’ve seen you put your arm around Sid and hold on just a moment longer than normal when he’s stressed, I’ve seen you talk to rookies who can’t relax enough for a nap before their first game, I’ve seen you feed energy bars and protein shakes to people while they re-tape their sticks, tie their skate or have their hands looked at by the doc at the intermission.” 

Geno had finished drinking as Zach talked so he put the bottle back on the table and picked up one of the biscuits Anna had given him earlier, snapping it in half against the plate, and offered it to Geno who took a bite and settled heavier against his side.

“I’ve watched as you’ve fought for guys who let their mouths run away with them and then told them not to worry about the mess you’re in; I’ve listened as you’ve taken responsibility for things on the ice that weren’t your fault, just to take the pressure off someone else.” Geno’s whole body tensed as he moved to take another bite of the biscuit Zach was still holding and he didn’t relax back even as he chewed it. “and I’ve seen you pull everything together, play big angry bear Evgeni Malkin, raging against everything and turning our whole team around, while everyone stands back and watches, enjoying the show.” 

Geno tensed further against his side and Zach stroked his arm gently encouraging him to relax again as he kept talking quietly, “All this is G is you getting what you you need and it’s no different from what you do for everyone else every day.” Zach rested his cheek down on Geno’s head, whispering close to his ear. “I’m proud of you for letting me help.”

Slowly, and as calmly as he could given that he wasn’t sure if the ball of tension against his side was going to explode at any minute, Zach counted a silent count of seven before he heard a gush of air leave Geno’s lungs and his whole body finally collapsed against him, Geno’s grip on his shirt tightening as he curled his arm around his waist.

“Nice to rest.” Geno whispered quietly and Zach smiled and brought his free arm up around him, cuddling him close.

“Rest easy G, I’ve got ya.”

 

They ate dinner around the coffee table, Nikita and Geno sat on the floor either side while Anna and Zach sat on the sofa and chair behind them, Zach’s hands wandering to Geno’s back and shoulder just as much as Anna’s did to Niki’s. In the beginning touching Geno, and having him leant close, his head resting against his knee, felt odd under the gaze of his wife but it only took a few minutes of watching Anna as she watched Geno, love, adoration and pride written all over her face, for him to relax into doing exactly what Anna had asked him to do earlier. As they ate Niki and Anna chatted about Niki’s day at school in a mix of Russian and English that Zach could almost keep up with and Niki laughed at him as he tried to join in.

“I’ll wash up,” Zach nodded at Anna as he said it and made to stand up but she shook her head and flashed a glance towards Geno before looking back at him and smiling in a way that wasn’t really a smile.

“I’ll do, Niki help before bath and bed.” Nikita grinned as she looked at him, “You like bubbles don’t you?” He nodded and she looked back to Zach with a smile as she walked out of the room, “You come to Russia in summer, you wash up all the time.”

“Ok,” Zach laughed, “Sounds like a fair deal.”

“She means it,” Geno spoke quietly as he pushed himself up off the floor back onto the sofa next to Zach, “means to invite to Russia.” 

“It’s kind of her; I’ve never been, never left America except for hockey.”

“I like you come,” his words sounded unsure but he didn’t look away from Zach as he said them.

“Then we’ll just have to arrange a date and I’ll be there.” There was a look of almost wonder on Geno’s face, as if somewhere in him he’d though Zach would say no and was surprised that he hadn’t. “You can show me around and Nikita can teach me more Russian although I’d like you to give that a go too so I know exactly what to say next time Ovechkin thinks he’s being clever by winding you up in Russian.

“Yes, Niki not teach you those words,” Geno grinned and laughed and looked almost like his normal self, “I teach you right but you not fight Alex.”

“I won’t if you won’t,” 

Zach laughed and Geno shook his head before flashing his wide, happy and one hundred percent Geno Malkin smile. “I make no promise.”

 

 

“How’s G?” Sid sat down next to him in his stall and asked behind his drinks bottle as Zach tried to control his physical reaction to the anger he suddenly felt.

“Honestly Cap, ask him yourself.” he said through gritted teeth, eyes darting around the room to check that no one was listening. 

“He wouldn’t tell me, I couldn’t get him to talk yesterday why would he talk today?”

Zach closed his eyes, took a deep breath, opened them again and looked at Sid, “He’s ready for the game; you made a good call with your suggestion to Anna.”

“Good, thank you for whatever you did.” Sid really sounded grateful, like he did when the kit guy managed to mend his favourite undershirt or one of the rookies brought him coffee and it made Zach even angrier.

“I didn’t go there for you,” he almost snarled. “Or for the team or for the cup.”

“I know,” Sid leaned away just slightly but kept his mouth covered by his bottle, “I know you went for him, I’m grateful that someone did, that he let you. I’ve been his captain forever, we spend loads of time together, he’s my best friend but I can’t do what you do so whatever that is thank you.” 

Geno crossed the room in two strides, stepping in front of them both and landed his hands heavy and warm, one on Zach’s shoulder and the other on Sid’s, squeezing tight. 

“We have game to play,” his eyes as he looked back and forth between them, contained all the intensity of pregame, “we win cup together, okay?”

“Yeah,” Sid smiled up at Geno and seeing a glimps of the affection between the pair of them up close and unhindered killed the anger left inside Zach at Sid’s gratitude.

“Sounds good to me,” Zach grinned and nodded, first at Geno and then at Sid who nodded back.

“Right then,” Geno released his grip and half turned away from them to address the rest of the room, “Skate up, ship out, we have cup to win!”

 

 

The game was tough, it swung one way and then the other and then back again, it took every ounce of energy and every scrap of information they’d learned over the six game series but with four minutes and five seconds left in the second period of overtime, Jake got the puck on a turnover, faced up one on one with the goalie and slipped the puck blocker side into the net after ringing it off the post and the cup was theirs.

There was the scrum around Murray’s net, there was Jake lifting the Conn Smyth and Sid taking the cup from Bettman. There was hoisting the cup over his head and skating across the ice in front of his family and an arena full of screaming fans and there were photos and interviews and hugs and congratulation and eventually there was a locker room full of screaming teammates, lots of champagne and the trophy they’d been working for all season.

“Zach, Zach!” Geno bellowed his name as he elbowed his way through the crowd, Lord Stanley in his hands, and Sid a step behind, bottle of champagne in one hand and camera in the other, and Zach pulled away from where he was jumping up and down like a crazy person with Jamie and Olli and turned to grin at him.

“G!” Zach grinned, wrapping his arm around Geno’s shoulder, “You happy now? Got your cup!” 

“Want photo.” Geno said as he set Lord Stanley down in front of Zach and Zach reached for the camera from Sid so he could oblige in taking the Sid and Geno kissing the cup photo but Sid pulled it out of reach and instead upturned the champagne bottle, emptying it into the bowl of the cup. “Photo of you.” Geno continued, “Drinking from cup”

“Really?” Zach laughed looking from Sid to Geno and back again.

“Tonight bear feeds rookie” Geno said with a wide grin, and mischief in his eyes that Zach was sure didn’t bode well for his evening, and then he lifted Lord Stanley to Zach mouth and tipped the cup, Sid’s camera flashing away as Zach drank the cup dry.

Once the cup was back on the floor, he nudged Geno’s shoulder and winked, nodded his head and smiled widely at Sid and let himself be led away towards the door, ready for whatever they had in mind for the rest of the night.


End file.
